Monday, 8 June 2015

With native apps, Apple Watch tries to step away from iPhone

Apple
chief executive officer Tim Cook announced on Monday an update to the
operating system for its Watch that should make apps for its latest
gadget speedier and help untether it from the iPhone.Cook
said that so-called "native" apps will be coming for the Watch and was
among the big news in the early part of his address at an annual
developers conference. Like other Apple products, the Watch's
commercial success will likely hinge on a compelling collection of apps.
But early apps for the timepiece have been tethered to the iPhone,
placing some limits on what developers could do. The expanded
software kit should lead to better and faster watch apps, said Bob
O'Donnell, an analyst at TECHnalysis Research, in an interview before
the event.at the
event. The company behind the iPod and iTunes has long been a leader in
digital music, but it has lost ground in recent years as subscription
services such as Spotify have caught on with consumers.

Analyst Van Baker of Gartner said he expects Apple to release a new service to win a bigger share of the streaming business.

"This is catch-up for Apple," he said.

An Apple spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The
company also unveiled new details about its Apple Pay service, saying it
was already supported by more than 2,500 banks and will surpass 1
million locations accepting it next month. In addition, the company said
it would roll out the service to the United Kingdom next month.

Apple Inc shares were down about 1% at $127.48 in early afternoon trading as Cook and others spoke.